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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Gas to Propane conversion

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James

01-03-2004 19:47:17




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I want to heat my shop I have a Natural Gas down force furnace I had previously purchased for a mobile home I used to live in and now I would like to convert it to propane. I have the regulator and line to hook to propane tank but I'm not sure what to do to the furnace.




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Fred OH

01-08-2004 11:11:20




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
Looking at the instructions for a Coleman Presidential III 7900 series down draft furnace and the conversion to propane requires you to take out the regulator cover screw, then the plastic regulator adjustment screw, then the regulator spring. Replace this spring with one for propane and re-install the two screws and (one has to be adjusted) put a decal on it saying something like changed over to propane. This furnace has a White-Rodgers gas valve and this instruction is for the 36C and 36E gas valves. If present pilot burner is to be used, the pilot orfice must be replaced. I can give exacting instructions if emailed...but take no responsibility for the conversion so I can keep my butt warm. Fred OH

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Tom

01-04-2004 22:09:39




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
James,

I suppose that particulars make a difference, so depending on your unit, all of the answers to your question might be right to one degree or another.

I built an addition onto my house and retrofit the whole house with a new central heat / air system that I bought via the internet from a guy in Indiana. The furnace came equipped for natural gas but also had provision to switch to propane. I did the switch to propane and have used the system successfully for about 5 years now. As farmered said, I bought a 250 lb. propane tank, a high pressure regulator for on the tank, a low pressure regulator for use where the gas enters the house, copper pipe outside the house, black iron pipe inside the house, and a condensate drip line where the black pipe connects to the gas valve in the furnace. I replaced the gas orifices in the burner really easily using a straight blade screwdriver, and in my case, that's all I had to change. The gas valve works great. I happen to have an electric igniter in mine so I don't know about changing the pilot light, but I think that probably would also have to be changed if I had one.

One other thing that I did too, I borrowed a pressure gauge from a friend of mine to check the gas pressure at the valve. It needed to be at 11 column inches of water pressure for my furnace to work properly. I could have adjusted my low pressure valve to regulate the pressure if I had needed to do so, but it turned out that the pressure was already at 11 inches so I didn't even have to adjust the low pressure regulator.

By the way, I don't have any idea how to convert column inches to psi, but I do know that 11 columns inches is VERY low pressure. I think it is only around 1 or 2 PSI.

I also bought a new gas range and made the same simple changes to the orifices in that so that it would work on propane. No other changes were needed to the gas range, but it too has electric igniters instead of pilot lights.

So, I guess the message is that you need to check with the furnace manufacturer and acquire a propane conversion kit from them. It might be a simple conversion.

Good luck,

Tom

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Dale whitenight

01-04-2004 14:17:59




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
Yes I have a 930 case tractor. It all ready is an lp tractor. I am in need of parts to fix the ENSIGN MODEL RDH180A1 manufactured in 6-65. Can you tell me where I can get parts for this or what I can do to fix it. It needs new diaphrams, they are all dry out. They could be new or used parts. Thank you for your help.



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john

01-04-2004 04:25:53




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
while I would suggest you get advise from the propane dealer to check the particulars on your specific unit I will say this.
I have a 1990 Coleman downdraft unit that was set up for natural gas when bought. The propane man changed the orifices to a propane type and fired it up. The orifices was the only thing needed to convert mine to propane.



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Farmered

01-04-2004 02:53:18




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
Hate to dissappoint you James but you will need a new gas valve too. It is that square thingy with a push button on it to get the pilot lighted. The gas valve has a regulator built in. Propane operates at a higher pressure. So you will need a high pressure regulator at the tank, a low pressure regulator where the line enters the building, a shut off valve and the gas valve. Don't forget to put in a drip leg in the line before entering the gas valve. You will find that the regulators are about $35 each but the gas valve is the most expensive part of a furnace. You can use copper with flair fittings, not compression fittings, outside. Use black iron pipe inside. A drip leg can be made using a tee and a vertical 6 inch nipple with the nipple capped. Check with your county, you may need to have your system pressure checked before you use it. Be careful. Good luck. Ed

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greenbeanman

01-03-2004 21:09:22




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
I hate to be a downer, but some of the old mobile home natural gas furnaces shouldn't be converted.

With some brands, the higher heat of propane can burn out or crack the heat exchanger, i.e. combustion area. This lets them leak carbon monoxide among other things.

Most can be converted, so I would recommend that you check with the furnace manufacturer on this one.



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dons

01-03-2004 19:58:00




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 Re: Gas to Propane conversion in reply to James, 01-03-2004 19:47:17  
The orifces on the main burner will have to be replaced with smaller opening also the pilot burner will have to be down sized also. The propane supplier shoud be able to tell you the correct sizes. hope this will lead you in the right direction



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